Deep Blue Sunshine
by Chigiri
Summary: AU Sasuke, prince over the kingdom of Konoha and the only heir to the throne, comes by a rumor that a monster is living in the Southern forest. What's the harm in a little adventure? SasuNaru
1. Natural Reflection

A/N: It's actually been about a year since I've written a longer fanfic, so please excuse me for any…uh, mistakes, I guess? Anyway, let's get down to the important stuff.

b Disclaimer/b Naruto, or any of the characters that appear here, are not mine. They're property of Masashi Kishimoto. However, if it pleases you, I do own this nifty blue scarf!

b Warning/b This us extremely, wooo--off-the-chart AU. The guys aren't even ninjas. Another little factoid that I think you should know is that it's ** Sasunaru shounen ai ** . That means that Sasuke and Naruto like each other romantically. Got a problem with that? Sorry.

Okay, now to the stuff you're all waiting for:

* * *

** Deep Blue Sunshine **

_ "Legends are true, legends are free_

_ this is the legend of you and me" _

Chapter One: Natural Reflection

He never intended this to be a normal trip.

On the contrary, when street rumors flew around, wildly claiming that a monster lurked in the Southern forest, Sasuke _ knew _ that interesting times lied ahead. A terrible demon was waiting for innocent travelers in a small clearing? A vicious animal was preying upon the poor souls who ran across the vile thing? He found it pathetic that these commoners wasted such time on silly tales.

But at the same time, his confidents spoke of an odd occurrence in the forest. An illusive creature, they said. One had the small detail of a lake, or a pond, where the monster lounges around. Others swore that it produced long, sharp canines. Some said that the monster had mesmerizing eyes, like a seducer. The high-ranked bodyguard and his tutor, Kakashi, even vouched for it.

_ "Doesn't it intrigue you, Sasuke?" Kakashi prodded at him with a teasing voice, peering at him with his uncovered eye, "It must be terribly dull just lounging around the castle. And with all those cooks feeding you—" _

Of course, they would never allow him out of the castle, even if he wanted them to find out. Seriously, Sasuke would be the laughingstock of the counsel if he were to be caught "investigating silly fairy—tales". And as much as he hated to admit it, he needed the council to believe he was on their side.

Arrogant old fools. If it wasn't for Itachi's abandonment…

Sasuke shifted his thoughts back to the task at hand. Swiftly, he scanned for the guards below. They switched positions at this time, though only for a few scarce moments. He waited for the perfect time and jumped from the balcony, silently pushing the force of the impact back into the ground as he landed. He pulled a lock of his ebony black hair from his eyes and darted across the courtyard.

Sakura Haruno, daughter of one of the nobles and next in line of the Haruno family, sat on the edge of the water fountain, humming cheerfully.

Shit.

Of all times, Sakura had to stalk him now! Couldn't she just find some other hobby to occupy her without torturing him?

He quickly slid behind a hedge, aiming for another way out. If he could just slip between the statue and the rose bush, the rest of the path would be clear until he reached the actual city. Hopefully the rough, green traveler clothes would look poor enough to pass him by the peasants without a second glance.

Setting his alternate route to action, he crept alongside the hedge and watched Sakura weave some flowers into a wreath. He scooped up a pebble from the ground and chucked it in the opposite direction, hitting the opposite statue.

"Sasuke?"

While she was looking the other way, he darted past the fountain and narrowly squeezed through the passageway. His cloak caught onto the thorns of the rose bush. Sasuke cursed in his mind and crouched. He turned and picked out the fabric roughly, scratching his fingers on the thorns. Sakura turned to his direction.

"Sasuke? Is that you?"

The ebony haired boy untangled the cloak just at the right time, twisting behind the rose bush before the girl could see him. That had been i too /i close.

Once he deemed it safe, he hastily began to walk towards the city. He pulled his hood up so no one could see his identity without concentrating on him. He paid a few lousy gold pieces for some peasant clothes—a ripped cloak, a rough tunic, and some baggy, dirty pants—just in case the occasion ever arose. Luckily, he looked just like everyone else in the crowd .

Pale skin, dark wisps of hair…only an Uchiha had those characteristics, and all Uchiha were nobility of the highest caliber.

All Uchiha were royalty. And he was the only one left. Itachi didn't count.

In his straying thoughts, he didn't realize that his feet took him to the outskirts of Konoha.

_ "Tch…pay attention to what you're doing…" _

There, a stable. Sasuke pulled out the meager pouch and knocked on the door. A haggard looking man answered with suspicion. Sasuke wriggled his nose at the stench. It was probably just the stable, but he wouldn't be surprised if the man emitted the stench itself.

"Ay? What does a scoundrel like you want?"

Foolish peasants like this one always aggravated Sasuke to no end. Where was the common courtesy?

Digging out two golden coins, he offered them to the rough man in a polite gesture.

"I want a decent horse to travel on. Is this possible?"

The greedy look in the old man's eye told him so. Hastily grabbing a bridle and saddle from the nearby wall, the stable owner showed the ebony-haired boy to the horses. There in the wooden stalls, horses that he assumed were mixed breeds snorted and thumped restlessly at his arrival. The two stopped at a dark stallion.

Wrestling the bridle onto the horse's snout, the old man dislodged the stall door and led the stallion out.

"This one here is a strong one. Name's Hellfire."

Hellfire stomped his hooves impatiently at the man attaching the saddle, almost as if he was too proud to be held by a mere stable keeper. Sasuke smirked as he saw this, enjoying the little show.

It looks like Hellfire and him would go well together.

He passed the coins onto the owner and took the reigns from the all—too—happy man, leading Hellfire back into the streets. They seemed more crowded now that it was the late afternoon, according to the sun. Merchants were crying out to the last minute shoppers before they closed down, and errand—runners scurried around for their last deeds of the day. The village looked so chaotic at this time that Sasuke wondered if it was even possible to squeeze his horse and himself into the streets without suffocating.

Still, he had to try. Gripping the reigns, he carefully led Hellfire through the congested crowd. The smells of alcohol, hearty food, and the sweaty villagers made him feel nauseous. Back at the castle, the air always reminded him of flowers and incense. How could people stand this stench?

As soon as the crowds trickled away, Sasuke decided to mount Hellfire. At first he took the reigns in his left hand and tried to step into the hook, but Hellfire sidestepped. Sasuke stumbled from the loss of ground and muttered beneath his breath. The horse wasn't stupid.

He stood straight and gazed at the stallion with a steadfast, proud expression. Hellfire returned the gaze back, snorting lightly.

"Let me on." He demanded in his royal tone. Princes do not ask; they command. Pride held his head up high.

Hellfire stomped his hoof and snorted, pulling on the reigns a bit. It almost was as if he was telling Sasuke to buzz off.

But the prince refused to acknowledge it and tried again. This time he didn't have the chance to stumble. Hellfire moved completely.

The Sharingan, the proof of Uchiha heritage and a feared bloodline limit, flashed and swirled in his eyes, staining his retinas blood red and giving him the appearance of a demon. Hellfire stilled.

He smirked and jumped onto the stallion's back, barely having the time to completely adjust the reigns before the stallion shot off. The city soon became thinner and the countryside grew, ridding Sasuke of the noisy experience of the city. Instead, the peaceful landscape of wheat and corn filled his view. In the horizon, a steady line of trees marked his destination.

He never saw the Southern forest in real life, but the maps in the study showed that it stretched until it touched the sea. He heard of legends of the Southern forest. Fairies supposedly lived there, causing mischief and mayhem. Those rumors were definitely false; his father used to use the forest as a type of secret base once, with a conjunction of a neighboring Kingdom. He didn't remember which one, but it wasn't that important. After the border dispute, father and his secret army abandoned the forest, having accomplished his task. No one had touched the woods since then—at least, those who weren't afraid to enter.

Speak of the devil. Hellfire rushed right into the Southern Forest.

But as the trees swallowed him into their territory, and the light dimmed from the thick leaves of the oaks and pines, he couldn't help but think that somehow this forest _ was _ unusual. The foliage created eerie shadows on the thick floor, almost governing the very life of the woods itself. Animals spied on him from the branches or the trunks curiously, not once afraid of the intruder. Cascades of leaves passed by him as the horse trudged deeper and deeper into the unknown.

Eventually, Sasuke pulled on the reigns to slow the horse. It was so dark that he pondered whether or not to use the Sharingan. The faint smell of the ocean drifted upon his nose, and he grimaced.

Maybe they went too far…

But first he'd stop at this pond. Hellfire must be quenched, and as much as he didn't seem to care, he wasn't a slave driver.

"Here," He pulled the reigns back to make the stallion halt. Sasuke pulled himself off and massaged his legs.

"What a long ride…" He mumbled to himself as the feeling crept back into his feet. He glanced over at the horse who watched the pond.

"Why aren't you drinking anything?"

Edging over to the water, he cupped his hands and trapped the liquid. The cool substance slipped through his fingers as he brought it to his face.

The solution splashed onto his skin and the stinging taste of salt lingered on his lips. It was salt water. No wonder Hellfire wasn't drinking.

Frowning at the misfortune, he picked up a pebble and skipped it across the lake. Now that his day had been officially wasted, he supposed it was time to go back. After all, the castle would be in a mess right now. They probably assumed that he took up training in on of his secret spots on the grounds. Hiding Hellfire wouldn't be a problem either. He'd simply pay for a better stable—keeper to care for the horse until his return.

Hellfire pranced uncomfortably and Sasuke had to snap out of his reverie to calm the horse down. He looked over at the lake—where the source of Hellfire's discomfort lied—to find something odd swimming in the water. A thin breach of water trailed around in circles, following a streamlined silver-scaled fin of sorts. A small trickle of fear and curiosity kept Sasuke glued to the sight.

Of course, the lake, the small clearing! The monster wasn't here because it didn't live around the lake; it lived _ in _ the lake!

Letting go of Hellfire, Sasuke pushed back his cloak and unsheathed the hidden blade at his side, expecting the creature to burst out of the water and attack. He had the upper hand of movement, since it looked like the pond was only fifty yards across. Not to mention the chakra control Kakashi taught him.

And just as he thought, the creature sunk deeper into the lake, producing large ripples on the lake surface, only to shoot out unexpectedly out of the water. Thousands of crystal drops splintered out of the glassy reflection, shattering the silence of the forest and Sasuke's expectations.

The creature twirled in the air with one fluid motion, encased by the glittering shards of water, and stared at Sasuke.

Golden hair, silver scales, fair and infinitely beautiful.

Deep blue eyes.


	2. In a Sea of Confusion

A/N: Thanks to all the readers! I'm going to get straight to the good stuff.

**Disclaimer:** Naruto, or any of the characters that appear here, are not mine. They're property of Masashi Kishimoto. I do own this cute blue sweater though!

**Warning:** This story is **SasuNaru shounen ai **which means that Sasuke and Naruto sre romantically involved with each other. Don't like it? Can't help you there…sorry.

* * *

**Deep Blue Sunshine**

"_Legend are passed, legends grow old,_

_Legends aren't seen, but always told."_

Chapter Two: In a Sea of Confusion

Time had sped up.

In a split moment, those hypnotizing eyes had crashed and melded back into the lake, creating a small tidal wave that brushed against Sasuke's boots. Hellfire whinnied and backed up into the trees, ripping the reigns straight out of Sasuke's hands. He lowered his sword—what had happened? The lake no longer represented a shattered mirror. Now the smooth surface stood still, creating the image of mercury.

Silence.

"What the hell was that?" Sasuke breathed. His eyes remained pinned on the small lake. He refused to sheathe his sword. No matter what he saw—even those blue eyes—he couldn't let his guard down.

Suddenly the forest returned to its normal state. The birds chirped again as if in applause for a wonderful show. A rabbit on the other shore perked it's ears in curiosity. It looked just like an ordinary forest…

"Were you the one who threw that rock? That hurt!" A voice cried, and it came from _right in front of him_. Startled, Sasuke backed up and readied his sword.

_Blond hair, blue eyes, tan skin…_

The monster.

But instead of the deadly, ugly monster that Sasuke had traveled so far to see, it turned out to be something completely different. It eyed his weapon and scrunched it's nose in annoyance.

"You aren't here to slay me, are you? I didn't even do anything! Hell, I don't even know what you are!"

"I'm a human, you idiot." The prince blurted without thinking. Who didn't know what a human was? This…thing looked human itself. If it hadn't been fore those odd scratches on his cheeks and the small, silver scales that started down his waist, Sasuke would say it was a prank by some stupid boy.

"Don't call me an idiot! You're the one who threw that stupid rock at me anyway!"

The small splashing behind the monster distracted him from what he was saying. Silver fins slapped the water, producing crystal drops that flew into the air. He followed the trail and eventually ended up to the waist of the boy. This _thing_ was a merman!

"What's your name?" The merboy asked, mildly irritated. The blonde's gaze looked as if it could pierce through his soul.

"…Why do you want to know?" He drawled. The boy gritted his teeth.

"So I don't have to call you 'human' all the time! Come on, humans _do _have names, don't they?"

Sasuke admitted that he didn't know much about merpeople, but were they all so…interesting to look at? Those eyes kept grabbing his attention, even if the merboy looked angry right now. And the scales that covered his lower body reflected a pale version of the color of the stones and algae. Almost as if his lower body acted like a chameleon's—absorbing the pigment to blend in to the surroundings.

"Hello? Earth to human, are you there? Geez, if all humans are slow like this…"

That irked Sasuke's temper a bit, but it had retrieved his attention. He sheathed his sword (the only danger here was the merboy's naiveté) and crossed his arms.

"My name is Sasuke. Not that you'll be needing it anytime soon."

He saw something spark in those clear blue eyes, but it disappeared in that fraction of a second. The merboy brilliantly grinned.

"I'm Naruto! I'm the keeper of this lake!"

But his grin turned into a frown and he glared at the prince.

"And you just threw a rock at me. Apologize!"

Naruto's tail slapped the water again, sending droplets everywhere. Sasuke shielded his eyes from the oncoming rain. Once the onslaught dispersed, he put his arm down and looked at the expecting blonde.

"Aren't mermaids supposed to live in the sea?"

There it was again—that look in his eyes. It shifted to one of annoyance. He could hear the utterance of "bastard" escape from Naruto's lips.

"Yeah, but not me. Are you going to apologize now?"

Sasuke found his mouth quirk into a torturous grin. For some strange reason, he _liked_ teasing Naruto this way.

"No."

A small silence wedged its way between the two, where Naruto looked as if he were trying to keep his temper under check while Sasuke basked in his glorious work. Naruto's tail swayed violently from one side to the other. Small rocks drifted from the makeshift current.

"Fine. Forget this!" The blonde remarked, and pulled himself into deeper waters. His scales dragged on the floor of the lake, making a cloud of dirt in its wake. Sasuke stood straighter.

"Wait. Where are you going?"

Naruto paused and looked back. "Away from you. It's obvious I'm not wanted. Even a _bastard_ like you can get your point across, you know."

And before Sasuke had a chance, Naruto melded back into the lake without warning.

For the first time, Sasuke realized the darkening sky and the lake's reflection of the shy moon peeking out from the clouds. When had it become so late? He had to leave now, or else the advisors would send out search parties.

He whistled, and Hellfire grudgingly beckoned to his side. He tried to convince himself not to stay any longer. Any longer and it would lead to trouble.

He hoisted himself onto Hellfire's back and took the reigns. No, there were more important tasks at hand. He had to find another stable, then run to the castle before anyone panicked for too long. Naruto went back to the bottom of the lake. There was no point in staying.

He motioned for Hellfire to run back into the forest, not once sparing a glance at the lake.

**S**asuke barely had the time to bathe and change out of his peasant clothes before someone knocked on his chamber door. He clasped his navy blue velvet mantle over his shoulders and answered.

"Come in."

The door swung open and revealed yet another of the nobles. Hyuuga Neji, heir of the Hyuuga clan and future strategist of the kingdom, bowed and looked blankly at Sasuke.

"Prince, your…excursion has left us in a state of panic. The counsel requests your presence immediately."

"Of course." Sasuke replied smoothly. Straight and to the point, Neji had a way of thinking that no one could ever contemplate without gaining a major migraine. He had always been like that, even to his cousin Hinata. Safe to say, his mysterious aura earned his fair share of girls—a group that rivaled his own suitors. Neji's most important trait that Sasuke came to respect was the unwillingness to butt into affairs that were not his own.

This wasn't the first time Neji had caught him out of the castle. It wouldn't be the last time either.

"Anything else, Neji?" He asked, eyeing the stoic, pale teen.

"A reminder that the prince of Naida will be arriving next week."

"You are dismissed."

Neji promptly bowed and left.

The council wanted him, like always. They most likely wanted to scold him for running off like that again, and he once again would state that he was off training on his secret grounds. The Uchiha had secret grounds on the castle for centuries. The council knew this, and he took advantage of it every moment he could.

Buckling the last belt on his leather boots, Sasuke walked out of his chamber into the hallway. The large open arches allowed the moon to reflect it's light onto the intricate surfaces of the gargoyle statues, and light up the hall. Since tonight held a full moon, no one bothered to light the torches. He spent hours sometimes in this hallway, looking out into his kingdom. Nights like this were especially beautiful to gaze out at the buildings and streets…

He turned to the main chamber, where the council usually gathered. Brushing off any stray dirt from his black silk tunic, Sasuke poised himself and entered.

Just as he expected—the old bastards started attacking him with questions.

"Where did you go, sire! We cannot allow you to continue disappearing like this all the time!"

"Certainly your Highness knows what can become of the kingdom if he is not present?"

He let the men drill him with questions that were supposed to make him feel guilty, knowing that none of them really worked. When had they ever? He knew whenever Konoha was being attacked, inside _and_ outside the castle. The horns would blow whenever there was an attack, and the sounds traveled for miles on end.

"I think," Voiced an old man, one everyone knew as Sarutobi the third, "That the young prince knows his boundaries."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, while the other council members looked at the man in surprise.

"But sir—" They started, but Sarutobi cut them off.

"I am sure that he has reasonable explanations to his actions. If we are to ever advise the prince properly, we must trust him first."

Sarutobi never let on any knowledge of Sasuke's outings, but sometimes the prince just wondered what the third really knew. Was he really putting that much faith in the Uchiha, or he did it for other reasons?

Now was not a good time to be contemplating the old man, so he changed the subject.

"Is there anything else you would like to discuss?" Sasuke asked, staring at the members apathetically. He would rather be at the kitchen, getting a meal.

"Just to remind you that our neighboring kingdom of Naida is sending their prince for friendly negotiations."

Sasuke bowed his head. "Neji has informed me of this."

"Preparations will be made for the occasion, and we will see to it that the security is tightened, just for a precaution." One of the newer members announced. Sasuke made another small bow and headed for the door.

"Inform me if any changes are made." He told the council, and headed out of the room.

The prince then headed down to the kitchen, where the chefs cooked his meal. Oddly enough, the sight of a lifeless salmon that laid on the cutting board brought chills down his spine. He ate his meal—minus the fish—and retired early for bed.

He dreamt of lakes and mermen.


	3. A Prison Surounded by Land

A/N: I didn't think this story would become this popular so fast! Another thanks to the reviewers, and thanks for the wait. I got caught up in a few things, heheh…

**Disclaimer:** Naruto, or any of the characters that appear here, are not mine. They're property of Masashi Kishimoto. I do own this cool looking pillow though!

**Warning:** This story is **SasuNaru shounen ai **which means that Sasuke and Naruto are romantically involved with each other. Don't like it? Can't help you there…sorry.

* * *

**Deep Blue Sunshine**

"_A myth can be a journey, a myth can stay in place,_

_A myth can remain hidden from an entire race."_

Chapter Three: A Prison Surrounded by Land

Lonesomeness. Restlessness. Naruto felt them many, many times in his tiny lake in the forest.

He didn't know much about the world. How could he? He'd been trapped in here for most his life. Barely any intelligent being came into the forest, unless it was Kiba. Heh, if the werewolf could be considered intelligent. But sometimes Kiba told him of all the adventures on land—the treacherous mountains where it constantly snowed, the scorching desert where Gaara lived. More than Naruto ever saw.

Naruto knew just enough, he supposed. Beyond this forest was an ocean, and in that ocean were many others of his kind. He knew what the basics were: how to act properly, how to sing and move through the water smoothly. But what was the use of common manners when all he had was himself and the other animals to keep him company?

He also knew that his living in this stuffy lake was not natural. He had been once a part of the ocean too….

But that human, Sasuke-

Kiba avoided humans at all costs, and Naruto never bothered to ask. His knowledge of humans was equivalent to the times it snowed, and it rarely _ever_ snowed in the forest.

Naruto felt embarrassed when he talked to Sasuke. After all, humans lived just outside the border of the woods—well, according to Kiba. But Sasuke blew all expectations of what a human would be like. Before his visit, Naruto thought humans would be mild-mannered, pleasant, interesting individuals. Albeit a bit scared of the unknown and a little greedy, but he'd give them credit for that. Instead…

Sasuke had been a rude, cold bastard.

A very interesting bastard, nonetheless.

Oh, but the merman would rather be caught with a fishhook in his mouth than to express that he actually _missed_ the human. Missing Sasuke meant that the lake had been getting to him, and he absolutely refused to believe that!

"Hmmph…Sasuke's probably forgotten all about me anyway." Naruto huffed to no one in particular. His neighbor, Mr. Bunny, raised an ear.

"It's true!" Naruto slapped the surface of the water with his tail, feeling the small sting of the water on his fin, "He's probably gone off and completely forgotten about this place."

Anger welled up inside of him at the thought. How dare he! After all, Naruto was the _only_ merman in the forest, or in a lake!

"Arrgh!" Naruto slammed his fists into the water, scaring Mr. Bunny away. He'd never been this frustrated in his life!

**It's** been two days, since he went to the forest. And every single moment after that meeting had been filled with daydreaming of _that stupid merman!_

"I must be going crazy," Breathed Sasuke, urging Hellfire to go faster. He glanced at the dying sky where the wisps of clouds streaked and blended with pink, orange, and fading blue. Would it be hard to find the lake again, like this? All Hellfire did was take him straight through, off the path.

"I don't suppose you know the way?" He muttered to the horse, but the stallion didn't reply. At least he knew that some of his sanity remained…

What was Naruto doing right now? What could Naruto do in that lake? _How_ did Naruto come to be in the lake in the first place?

They were only a few of the questions Sasuke had been pondering upon. They replayed in his mind over and over and over, like a bard that just would not shut up. They infiltrated his mind at the most inconvenient times, such as supper, the meetings with the counselors, while training with Kakashi, even in his bath. He went to the library in hopes to find information on creatures, but the only sources he could find were a few fairy tales, stashed in the children's section. And Sasuke absolutely refused to even touch that place.

And then there were the _other_ set of thoughts that accompanied those particular questions, and he didn't want to think about that.

"_I'm only coming back because I'm curious,"_ The prince valiantly attempted to reassure himself. _"Just this one visit, and I won't have these stupid questions floating in my head. It's not like I like him or anything…"_

But as soon the sentence crossed paths with his thoughts, an image of Naruto flashed across his mind, laughing as his golden hair reflected the sun's rays, and his eyes sparkled like the lake's water. Naruto twisting and twirling expertly underneath the lake surface. Naruto streaming out into the air, and diving back in with pure skill. Naruto—

"Enough! I am not thinking about Naruto!" He cried out loud and Hellfire snorted, almost in response.

Soon, the mystical trees shadowed the evening light from the prince, bending their limbs as if they were sheltering him from the world. A spare rabbit twitched his ears at the oncoming guests. The familiar smell of the sea greeted Sasuke once again.

Everything was exactly like before.

In his daze, he didn't notice that they'd almost passed the lake. He jerked the reigns a little too harshly. Hellfire stopped in his tracks and lifted his front hooves in anger. The angle sent Sasuke dropping to the ground like dead weight.

A brief flash of pain flittered through his skull and the prince groaned—both in response to the unpleasant feeling and his bruised ego. God, if anybody from the palace saw that little stunt, they wouldn't live it down for ages.

He glared at the settling horse and sat up.

"I hate you."

A brief outburst startled his glaring contest and he looked at the source of the sound.

Naruto obviously tried hard to muffle his chortles with his hand. He also didn't try hard enough.

Turning his glare towards the merman, Sasuke gathered up the rest of his shattered pride and crossed his arms. If this wasn't embarrassing, he didn't know what was.

"Hah-! You should've seen how you fell! That-that was great!" Naruto laughed, earning a harsher glare from the human. He pushed himself farther towards the bank, briefly taking careful note of the shallow water. Grinning brilliantly, the merman swayed his tail.

"Tch, like you could do any better."

"I don't think that'll be a problem. I don't need to ride giant fuzzy animals to go fast." He retorted. But the fact that Sasuke _came back_, and so soon at that, surprised him a little. Why did Sasuke even come back in the first place? Was it even safe to ask that question? Would Sasuke disappear if he asked? One question led to another and another until he couldn't take it anymore. This human acting so cold at least owed him some answers!

"Hey, why are you here? Did you leave something behind?" Naruto was pretty sure Sasuke had little on him to begin with. And part of him wanted Sasuke to decline it. However, Sasuke's dark eyes clouded a fraction before replying.

"Do I need a reason to come back?" Sasuke challenged. Feeling a little defensive, he retorted without thinking. Princes never had to have excuses for being wherever they were. But he reminded himself that this was not the castle. Naruto wouldn't bow to him, let alone worship the ground Sasuke walked on. The idiot probably didn't even know common manners.

Somehow, that relieved him.

"Well," Naruto frowned a bit, "Unless you still want to apologize for hitting me with a rock, no one's really hung around here for no reason."

Sasuke frowned as well. Why was it so important to have a reason to come here? Maybe mermen didn't like people as much as Sasuke thought.

"Because I find you amusing, idiot. What else?" A small trickle of something stirred in his chest—unrecognizable—but retaliating against the statement. He pushed it aside.

Naruto flailed his right fist in protest.

"Hey! I'm not here for your stupid entertainment, you bastard! Who the hell do you think you are!"

Looking at the agitated merman, Sasuke smiled just a little: a ghost of that small, unimportant feeling he'd been taught to fight and control. This meeting felt relaxing, like a breath of fresh air. Something about this both soothed him…and frightened him a little.

"You're so noisy," Sasuke interrupted the raging blond, "Just keep quiet for a while, alright? If I'm really that bothersome, just go back underneath the lake." He came because he was curious, but if the idiot wasn't going to cooperate, what was the point? Besides, he could get the answers on his own. All he had to do was watch Naruto.

But a small moment passed by where Naruto did nothing but slight comply to his command, frowning and peering at Sasuke as if _he_ was the one being studied.

"What?" He asked, shifting his position on the ground. The blond looked at him unsurely for a split second.

"Uh…nothing really. It's just that I've never really been with a human that much, so…" Naruto huffed and looked to the side, purposely avoiding Sasuke's gaze, "It's not my fault you have a funny-looking body!"

An idea filtered through the human's bemused mind. If he wanted to learn about mer-people, why not ask Naruto directly himself with the prospect of teaching him about humans in return? Surely the merman wouldn't refuse? He crossed his fingers together and smirked.

"How about this? I'll tell you about humans, but you have to tell me everything about mer-people in return." He asked strictly, as if he made a compromise with the neighboring country. If this didn't work, he didn't know what would.

Naruto perked up, his blue eyes shining at Sasuke like buried treasure. Sasuke inwardly congratulated himself as he looked at the expression on Naruto's face.

"Really? That'd be great! When do we start? Where do we start? What are we gonna do first?"

"We don't have enough time for anything tonight," Sasuke peered at the shying curtain of stars, just to make sure, "So the next time I come, we can create some sort of plan for lessons…or something like that."

And on top of that, he could find some sort of way to divert everyone's attention at the castle, dammit. While he COULD use his training grounds as an excuse, he could only use it for so long until the council caught on. The last thing he needed was someone to follow him around nonstop.

Naruto let out a disappointed groan, drooping his head between his folded arms. His voice was drowned out by the water, though his breath formed a shower of bubbles that rose and popped on the surface. It was a funny sight, and Naruto reminded the dark haired one of a disappointed puppy. Cute.

Of course, he'd much rather be trampled by Hellfire and scolded for days than admit to those thoughts.

"When are you going to come back, then?" The merman asked, stopping his slew of bubbles. Sasuke roughly shoved his thoughts aside and looked at him.

"Whenever I can."

Naruto wriggled his nose in distaste.

"Can't you give me a straight answer? Come on, you gotta know a general time, right? A couple days? A couple weeks? _Something?_"

"I'll make it longer if you keep asking me."

A grumble responded to his statement and he caught "what a bastard" somewhere along the sounds.

The rest of the night the forest held the sounds of bickering voices, and lapping water.


	4. Hidden Between the Lines

**A/N:** Ah, here's the explanation of a delayed chapter. It would've been out yesterday, (or a couple days before that, sorry!) but I remembered about a little game called _Harvest Moon_ and…hehheh…I think you know the rest. But it's out now! The next chapter will have Sakura involved more than a few lines. This chapter is just setting everything in place.

Now if only I knew where everything was going ;;

**Disclaimer:** Naruto, or any of the characters that appear here, are not mine. They're property of Masashi Kishimoto. I do own this cool looking pillow though!

**Warning:** This story is **SasuNaru shounen ai **which means that Sasuke and Naruto are romantically involved with each other. Don't like it? Can't help you there…sorry.

* * *

**Deep Blue Sunshine**

"_A myth can be tomorrow, a myth can be today,_

_A myth may eventually, just fade away"_

Chapter Four: Hidden Between the Lines

Reading—thinking—dazing—sleeping. Wake up. Repeat.

Reading—thinking—dazing—Naruto's silly annotations of mer-people—dazing again—sleeping. Return to working on his studies. Repeat. The pages melded together, the ink became inseparable, and he slowly succumbed to the sweet siren of sleep. Then he'd jerk himself awake again and read the next few pages. If the council had noticed, they hadn't said anything. After all, if the prince was studying on the life of peasants and other kingdoms, how were they to complain?

Why on Earth did he even bother to pull the curtains back? The light from the windows killed his eyes…

"Your highness, the prince of Naida will arrive in an hour." Hinata announced shyly, startling Sasuke from his half-doze. He sprung up to attention, placing his hands on the outstretched books as if to turn the page. Vaguely wondering where he left off, he pretended to study the scrawls of ink and the smudged papers. He didn't look at Hinata.

"Thank you, Hinata. You're dismissed."

But instead of the quiet shuffling he expected, an uncomfortable silence reigned over his room. He looked up from the oak desk and stared evenly at Hinata. She turned her gaze immediately down to the carpet with an embarrassed blush on her face.

"E-excuse me, highness, b-but may I…say something?" She stuttered, wringing her hands as she continued watching the floor. Sasuke frowned at her unusual actions.

"Proceed." He commanded in a dull voice. If it was anything about the visiting prince, then he couldn't really care at the time. Just a few more minutes to organize his thoughts, save his place, and snap back into the real world, and everything would be under control.

"Is y-your majesty ill? It seems a-as if your highness has been tired th-throughout the last f-few days…"

"I'm fine, Hinata." He lied quickly, but then again, he had to lie all the time as a prince. People couldn't easily tell the difference between his everyday comments and his falsehoods just for that reason.

No, he wasn't really fine at all. He wanted sleep, dammit! For the past few nights, he'd been sneaking out to Naruto's for their lessons. By the time he would return, he would jump into bed and sleep for only two or three hours. The first night was fine, but the second night after that began to take a toll on him, and the night _after_, Kakashi had managed to catch him off guard on five separate occasions. Then his tutor had the nerve to say:

"_Have you been love—struck lately, prince?"_

And from that point on, he'd been snappy ever since. Out of all the emotions Naruto brought up with him, he was pretty sure love-struck was out of the question. Otherwise he'd be stalking the merman and constantly flirting with him to get his attention—like Sakura did, right?

…

Eww. Parading around like Sakura gave him a bad mental image.

But his point being: If he couldn't keep his pace, people were _sure_ to notice his erratic behavior.

"…prince?"

Startled out of his daze once again, Sasuke fully gazed at pale girl.

"Repeat that?"

She fidgeted again, (for some reason, Hinata was always afraid of him) and repeated her last sentence.

"Is there anything I can get you, your highness?"

Running a hand through his dark hair, he took a deep sigh and returned to his studies.

"No thank you. You may go now."

Hinata bowed, her short hair flopping in front of her face as she did so, and left.

If this were any indication of what the day would be, Sasuke would rather stay underneath his covers.

"**Announcing the Prince of Naida!"** His guards cried as the majestic doors of the throne room creaked open. A man with dark hair, pulled back into a ponytail stepped inside with a slight smile. The bridge of his nose held a long scar of sorts, old and faded with time. He looked much older than Sasuke, probably around 23 or 24.

He strode into the room with confidence and gracefulness, gliding across the blood red rug as if it were water. He stopped before Sasuke's throne and slightly bowed.

"Greetings, your highness. I am Iruka, from the Umino dynasty of Naida. I appreciate your generosity for my short stay."

"Likewise," Sasuke replied in a neutral tone, slightly shifting his royal blue cloak. Meetings like this always tended to be a dance with words, and he made it a habit to say the most intelligent, precise answer he could. Sometimes the conversations became more deadly than wars. "I trust your journey was smooth?"

"Indeed," The older prince countered with a sincere smile, "Thanks to your guards, no trouble came of us during our excursion."

"I am glad to hear of it." Not really; he couldn't care less at the time, but, "To reassure Your Highness' stay, I have taken the precaution to lend you my most elite guard. He is more than capable to handle any displeasures you encounter. I shall inform a servant about our meeting, but for now, I am sure you are quite exhausted."

Sparing a null glance at Kakashi, he motioned the guard to step forward.

"Show Prince Iruka to his headquarters, if you will."

Kakashi smiled behind his cloth bandana and bowed earnestly at the ruler. Of course it would be _just_ like him to find ways to aggravate the prince. Even when Sasuke demanded he stop, Kakashi just gave him the excuse, _"But it's a good exercise to masquerade your emotions, good for battle"_.

"My deepest gratitude." Iruka provided him with an earnest smile and another bow. Kakashi then motioned the way, and Iruka followed.

Watching the dispersing guards, Sasuke bit back a yawn and slouched into his throne. He had to make it to Naruto's tonight, or the merman would give him hell. He still had a few more chapters to go for today's lesson…he stopped in the middle of peasants' mannerisms.

Sasuke stood up and brushed himself off, turning to the direction of his studies.

**Silence** had pretty much occupied the trip through the hallway, which suited Kakashi just fine. It gave him time to distinguish the differences between _now_ and _then._

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" The other man awkwardly muttered. Kakashi nodded.

"Nnn, since the war, to be exact." He smiled lazily underneath his black cloth mask. Iruka caught the motion rather easily.

"I see you haven't changed much," The prince pulled a stray lock of hair back into place.

"I see you still have that thing—" Kakashi caught Iruka's wrist so suddenly that the prince resisted at first. The sleeve of his tunic fell in folds around his elbow, revealing a strong but wiry arm, and a dull wooden bracelet, carved in an eroded pattern of unrecognizable figures. Iruka instantly locked gaze with the wall, his face lightly tinted pink. "It doesn't seem fit for a prince."

Iruka jerked his arm away in response, refusing to meet Kakashi's gaze.

"…It would be hard to let go of it."

Stopping in front of a large door, Kakashi paused and turned to Iruka in a careless manner. In the light, Kakashi could see just how much they had both grown. Iruka's face lost the "cute" baby fat and instead, chiseled into a well-defined jaw, soft pale lips, a handsome nose…But Iruka still held the same beautiful chocolate brown eyes.

The Iruka standing before him was a mature version of the scrawny yet oddly strong boy he once met in a war.

"You're still cute as ever." Kakashi blurted, smiling cheerfully. Iruka gritted his teeth and pushed past him, opening the door to his quarters.

Kakashi made a mental note to deeply thank Sasuke with more training and lovely compliments.

**By **the timeSasuke finished reading _his_ lessons, the sun had set and a familiar tug on his heartstrings made itself known. In a way, his body had programmed itself to be prepared to meet Naruto, in the forest under a starry sky.

Well, actually, right now his body was acting in a civil war, where his brain and his muscles duked it out in a no-holds bars match to the death. And curiosity, after three grueling days, tripped under it's own feet and kneeled before the greatness known as sleep.

In shorter, easier terms, it meant that sleep deprivation finally took it's toll. And it didn't feel good at all.

Naruto could wait until then, he decided. He still had to go to supper—one that he _must_ attend. Otherwise Prince Iruka would probably assume that Sasuke didn't care for his kingdom. And that meant possible schemes for overthrow. Or it could be that Iruka may break his ties with Konoha.

If Iruka was a good ruler, he'd better not judge a dinner as seriously as such, but it couldn't hurt if Sasuke was a _little_ paranoid about these things.

God, it's _wonderful_ when he stops caring about appearances. It gives him less stress and more time to sleep.


	5. Underneath the Crystal Clarity

**A/N:** Sorry about the long wait. My job has been sucking up all my time and phew, is it hard to get this done in time. There's a couple mistakes I fixed now, since I was in a hurry to get it published before I left for work. This chapter's dedicated to Joz yyh, my wonderful friend in school that I miss already --;; This is the chapter she didn't get to read! Thank you all for the supporting comments and your patience. Now, let's begin!

* * *

**Deep Blue Sunshine **

"_And under this sky, our legend is made,_

_Our story shall be told,_

_Our myth **will not**__fade."_

Chapter Five: Underneath the Crystal Clarity

"_It's a bit surprising, but it won't change anything."_ _A warm smile. Feather-light touches on his cheek…_

Iruka shifted his legs underneath the soft covers, turning away from the bright windows. His mind still groped for that cozy feeling called sleep. Light, coldness, and the world outside the bed most certainly needed not to exist right now.

"_You…you mean it?" His voice laced with doubt and hope—apprehension. The fears he held so close to him all melted away with a husky voice._

"_Yes."_

Settling into a comfortable position on his back, he pulled the blankets closer in an attempt to resume his warm sleep. For some reason, the silk sheets reminded him of home.

_A small pause where actions spoke louder than words. A soft kiss that told him everything in one breath. Their hands linked together, never wanting to let go._

"_After this war…" He started as their lips broke apart, "Will we see each other again?"_

_The thought brought up a sense of sadness they couldn't comprehend at the time._

"_Iruka…"_

"Iruka."

"_We'll think of something." An amused look. "After all, now that you're a prince-"_

"Iruka. Wake up."

Awake with the realization that the voice calling him was **not** from his realm of sleep, Iruka jerked his eyelids open and fended off the discomfort of light coming into his eyes.

Kakashi's face filled his vision.

"Yo." 

He pushed back into the bed in surprise and the fact that Kakashi was invading something he liked to call personal space. Didn't he learn _any_ manners when they were apart!

"Kakashi," Iruka started, glaring evenly at the man on top of him, "What are you doing?"

"Waking you up, of course!" He replied cheerfully, as if Iruka had asked about the weather.

Kakashi made no attempt to get off.

Pinned to the bed, Iruka held back a growl as he thought of a logical way to pry Kakashi off him. Although when it came to the silver-haired man, logical wasn't really a proper word.

"I'm up now." Iruka replied in a dry voice, giving the amused teacher a stern look, "Please get off of me. I have to meet the prince for breakfast."

Kakashi complied, although he took his sweet time doing so.

"The prince will not be attending, I'm afraid." Kakashi mocked stated. His voice had that teasing quality to it, but his eyes held something quite different. Iruka frowned.

"May I ask why not?" Usually princes, sick or not, attended to breakfast for their company as a sort of etiquette. Otherwise shows his apathy towards Iruka or people in general. It could mean overthrow in an instant.

It was like playing with matches in a minefield full of gunpowder.

He sat up and threw his legs over the bed, hoping that the numbness in his legs would lessen. How long had Kakashi sat on him?

"The prince is a bit out of commission for the day. Several days of sleep deprivation took it's toll." Kakashi replied, looking out the balcony window. He had a strange look on his partially covered face.

Tired and irritated, the brown haired prince had enough vague answers. He glared at the man and disregarded any sort of politeness he had left to spare.

"What exactly has been going on in Konoha since we left from the war?"

**Waiting** and waiting, it seemed like her favorite hobby nowadays. Waiting for the maid to clean her room, waiting for the teacher to start their private lessons, waiting for Sasuke to acknowledge her, the list went on and on. This situation proved to be no different.

She gracefully pulled the chair from the desk and placed it near Sasuke's bedside, gratefully taking in the _splendid_ view of the prince, still and fast asleep underneath the silken sheets and the softest covers. His dark hair spilled out on the pillow, like threaded waterfalls. His navy blue sheets contrasted his pale skin and made it glow in the muted sunlight. He appeared so vulnerable like that; more human. Something Sasuke managed to hide from anyone and everyone who crossed his path. Someday she wished that he would break that ice around his heart a little, just for her.

She tried her best—honestly, she did! Out of the entire class of nobles, she had the most knowledge of anything. Reading, writing, arithmetic, the history of Konoha, even facts of other cultures was not far out of her reach and easily understood. She knew proper etiquette, the correct way to eat, walk, and dress. She even had been told that her beauty surpassed even her name—Sakura. She would be the perfect queen.

All this for the sleeping prince, yet nothing. He still shrugged her off and ignored her, addressed her only when she was considered an annoyance. It had been like that since they were seven—ever since the royal family had passed away. She noticed how perfect Sasuke was, but Sasuke had turned his focus on his kingdom instead of his toys; forsaking his friends for revenge. It had truly been a sad sight.

Sakura wanted to help him. Sakura also believed she loved him.

She swept the long folds of her red dress to the side, brushing them off the plush chair in one fell swoop. The prince remained unfazed, still locked in his dream world. Silence reigned over the room.

She would give anything to be in that bed right now, being held in Sasuke's arms…

"Sakura," A deep voice called, and she turned her attention to her teacher. Kakashi stood in the doorway with that same neutral expression taken when instructing. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

"I was just serving His Highness breakfast." She replied softly, with a blush dusting her pale cheeks. Kakashi always asked such embarrassing questions! It never ceased to amaze her that any of them managed to be properly tutored.

Kakashi gave a casual nod.

"You may leave." He replied mutely. Sakura pasued to gaze at the prince one more time, and slowly stood from her chair. She turned and curtseyed to her teacher.

"Good day, teacher." She spoke, and left the room, Kakashi strode over to the bedside, taking Sakura's place.

He'd have to play better than that to fool Kakashi.

"Get up."

Sasuke's eyes shot open immediately and glared at his tutor.

"What do you want?"

"That's a rather unprincley reply," He mused. This was his form of affection towards the prince. Too bad Sasuke thought it was his way of torture.

Well, maybe it was, a little.

Sasuke mumbled his trademark "tch" and sat up. His night robes appeared undisturbed.

"Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?" Kakashi stated, "Blowing off an important breakfast with the prince of Naida is rather reckless of you."

A mild fraction of surprise flashed onto Sasuke's face.

"How late is it, exactly?"

"Almost noon. I suggest you have your breakfast before it becomes lunch."

As a teacher, he had mixed feelings about Sasuke's thought processes. He taught Sasuke to remain on constant guard. The duty of a king required a steady, unwavering rule. However, as a person…

Sasuke was the perfect student in combat and diplomatic matters. He was also the most lacking in manners of the self. Something Kakashi also lacked the skilled to teach.

The prince mechanically reached for his tray and set it on his lap with practiced grace. He dillegently warped his fingers around the teacup and sipped the liquid soundlessly.

"Send my apologies to the prince. Retreive a suitable gift from the treasury as well."

Kakashi bowed his head. He knew when Sasuke was Sasuke, and when Sasuke was the prince.

"Will you be attending lunch?"

A pause filtered between them as he waited for the prince's response. He scrunched his nose a little and glared at the sheets.

"I _was_ asleep, befroe Sakura barged into my room. I dislike sleeping in front of an audience." At this, the prince gave him a pointed glare.

"Understood," He bowed again, and turned to leave. Halfway to the door, he paused.

"Although, it would be in your best interest to _sleep_, prince."

He heard the prince scoff again, and his lips twitched upward as he left.

**Naruto** yawned pitifully and struggled to keep his half-lidded eyes open. Geez, waiting for Sasuke was such a pain in the tail. Of course it was like that bastard not to show up like that, not giving any sort of notification beforehand. Were humans always like this? He's had a pretty poor example so far. Mmm, sleepy…

He wondered what a human's bed felt like. Sasuke said that sometimes they slept on fluffy cushions of material filled with bird feathers or straw, and other times they just slept on wooden boards or flimsy mats. He doubted it was like the soft beds of moss merpeople had. When he asked Sasuke which one he slept on, the guy just scoffed and changed the subject. Maybe it was a culture thing humans had about asking about their sleeping habits…?

He put his head down against his crossed arms, feeling the damp stones beneath him. Where was Sasuke? He waited all night and all this morning and now it was at least noon. Naruto hadn't had an ounce of sleep because of him! And he couldn't fall alseep above the surface, or the air could kill him.

Loosing sleep over this bastard, what has gotten into him?

The rocks felt nice and smooth, a little warm due to his body heat. Sleep kept pulling him into it's realm, but he fought against it. He didn't wanna miss Sasuke, or his lessons! When Sasuke got here, he was sooo going to chew him out. Who knows, maybe it would irritate the human enough to show some real emotion.

Yeah, Sasuke would look so much better with emotion than just cold-hearted all the time.

Just when he thought that a little sleep wouldn't kill him, the fast footsteps of Hellfire reached his ears. He pulled his head up just in time to see the stallion roughly halt near the usual spot near the tree. Sasuke clambered down, still with that indifferent look on his face.

"Where were you?" He demanded half-heartedly, "You're late!"

"I was sleeping, you idiot. Humans need sleep, you know." He retorted, taking his spot near the merman.

"You could've told me that! I wasted all that time doing nothing last night. And don't call me an idiot, you bastard!" He fought back a yawn and glared. Sasuke smirked.

"You spent the entire night waiting up for me? I didn't know you cared."

"Of course I care—err, I mean, who else would give me my lessons?"

A moment of surprise flashed on Sasuke's face and Naruto almost flinched as his stone mask fell back into place.

"If you're so eager then, I'll start." He replied blankly. Inside, Naruto felt like grimacing. He didn't mean for it to sound so harsh…

Sasuke started explaining the different legends in human mythology, and slowly Naruto drooped his head and fell asleep.

Sasuke paused as he glanced at the sleeping merman, and smirked…this time with kinder eyes. He really had stayed up all night, the idiot. And he even fell asleep above water!

He shifted the drying merman deeper into the water, not really caring about his soaking pants and boots. They could survive some water. Naruto mumbled something random, but didn't stir.

"Naruto," Sasuke mumbled as he gazed at the submerged merman on the smooth bed of rocks, " I care too. About these lessons."

But somewhere they both knew that there was something so much more than that understanding.


	6. Brilliant Radiance

**A/N:** I'm so sorry guys! Time flew by and I was so busy with life that I found no time to sit and write this out! So, here is the long, long overdue chapter 6. I'm still trying to tie things together, so please be patient! Thank you!

**Disclaimer:** Naruto, or any of the characters that appear here, are not mine. They're property of Masashi Kishimoto. I do own these awesome Bleach keychains though!

**Warning:** This story is **SasuNaru shounen ai **which means that Sasuke and Naruto are romantically involved with each other. Don't like it? Can't help you there…sorry.

**Deep Blue Sunshine**

Chapter Six: Brilliant Radiance

Rarely would one see the prince in a daze.

Princes never strayed off task. Doing so meant laziness and weakness, especially in front of others. Princes had to be strong, upheld and concentrated rulers. Sasuke's mind could have well been the sharpest and most focused in the country.

Alas, here he sat, watching the noon rays reflect off the lake surface and fill the small clearing with warmth. Stray dandelion seeds drifted around the banks of the small lake, searching for their place o grow-to live. Birds sung their high pitched songs in chorus to the smaller creatures on the forest bed. The rabbit that made his home here nibbled cautiously on clover. Nothing really competed for his attention here, and, he thought, that's the way it should continue.

Sasuke was not a prince here, nor will he ever be.

The mernman's eyes slowly opened, blinked, and in a fit of panic, shot up from the shallow water. His eyes filled with alarm and he opened his mouth to let out a yelp.

"Oh dear sweet poiseidon I'm gonna shrivel up and die like that dried squid humans eat! AAAHH-…uh?"

He looked at himself in the calming reflection of the water and blinked a few times.

"Oh…I guess not..."

The sight of it bubbled up something inside him, warm and light. It easily passed through his mental walls and facades, and soon enough, he covered his mouth and muffled the small laughter that escaped. It felt good, amazaing even, to laugh like this!

And he stopped short…_Naruto made him laugh._ Not even human! Augh, if Naruto knew he made Sasuke laugh, of all people, he would be doomed.

"…I'm glad you stopped laughing." Naruto dryly remarked, glaring at the black haired one. If only the merman didn't look so pitiful with his hair sopping wet like that, he'd have a decent glare. Sasuke uncovered his mouth and smirked.

"Only until you do something equally as ridiculous, of course."

Naruto rolled his eyes and slapped his tail against the stones.

"Yeah, whatever. Are you going to go over your lesson today?"

At this Naruto edged a little closer to the bank, trying to feign indifference. Sasuke crossed his arms.

"You fell asleep during my lessons. I don't feel like repeating them again."

He could have if he wanted to. Since he was "sleeping" at the castle, no one would dare bother him. He could spend all day with Naruto. It was just more fun to torture the merman this way.

Naruto let out a frustrated growl and if he could, he would have crossed his arms.

"Fine, I'll start my lessons then. But this means you owe me double next time, got that, you bastard?"

At this, Naruto pulled himself towards shore, giving Sasuke the perfect and nondistorted view of his body. He looked earthreal, with soft tanned skin trailing down and morphing into silver scales. It amazed Sasuke-he'd never seen anything like it before.

"Okay, so in the sea, we have a government, just like humans. A kingdom." Naruto began, gazing at the forest. "It's pretty vast. Probably covers the whole ocean until it hits the southern and northern borders."

"I take it that you have feifdoms too, if it's that vast." Sasuke replied. Naruto tilted his head as their eyes met.

"Feifdoms? Well, if that's what you call the Sirens in your kingdom, sure. They help rule over the smaller parts of the kingdom and report to the king."

Naruto shifted his position so that he could face Sasuke more.

"Anyway, merfolk are pretty knowledgable, and sociable too. We like to know what's going on around us. Sometimes it gets us into trouble, but usually we can correct our mistakes before it's too late."

Naruto grinned, but something didn't feel quite right about it. Sasuke changed the subject.

"So does that mean the fairy-tale of that mermaid falling in love with a human is true?"

Blue eyes widened a fraction and his tail twitched.

"Humans know that story? Huh, never thought that would make it here…" Naruto chuckled as he strached random lines in the silt. "Yeah. That's a true story known from a long, long time ago. Actually, there's an artifact that's said to turn merfolk into humans. My, err...friend has it."

A sheepish chuckle escaped Naruto's lips as Sasuke eyed him curiously.

"Yeah, anyway, what's it like in your kingdom?"

Naruto's questions were what kept him studying book after book, night after night. If he didn't have an answer (at least a plausible one), it would definitely look suspicious. The last issue he needed was to be revealed as a prince.

Naruto didn't need to know. He didn't need to know and Sasuke wanted to make sure he remained clueless of the fact. Not that it took much.

"It's…" He started, then paused. "…rough. We have to work hard for our food and shelter, and pay the taxes. Some people can handle it. Others…not so well. There's a rather unpleasant gap between the rich and the poor."

"Which one are you then? Is your family really wealthy?"

"My family is dead." He barked without thinking. Nobody ever mentioned his family, not in front of him. Of course stupid naruto wouldn't know anything.

"Oh…"

….That was it? No "My prince, you are sure to avenge your fallen members" or "I'm devastated to hear of your loss". Not even "sorry to hear that", or anything? Just "Oh"?

Naruto was staring at him, silent and unmoving. He wore a frown on his face, not like the others, but something deeper than just a "sorry".

"What?" Sasuke muttered tentatively. Naruto shook his head furiously, spraying small droplets everywhere.

"Nothing. Er, let's go ahead with the next part of my lesson! This kingdom stuff is boring!"

Sasuke was going to reply that they'd even barley scratched the surface of oceanic government, but the blond had already turned and dove back underwater. A few moments had passed and Naruto sprang up from the surface again, looking triumphant. He eagerly streamed back to his "sitting" place, gripping a long tendril of seaweed in his fist.

Sasuke rose an eyebrow.

"You're going to teach me about algae…?"

Naruto smirked and slapped the slimy pant onto the rocks resolutely. He looked as if he won the lottery.

"_This_," He gazed at the green blade in something akin to admiration, "is what merpeople almost live on."

Somehow, the raven haired boy wasn't quite impressed.

"Wow," He replied monotonously, "that's brilliant. I never would have thought."

"I know! It's awesome isn't it? A whole race can survive on just one plant!" Apparently, Naruto had not caught the sarcasm. Then again, Naruto never seemed to pick up on any sarcasm _at all._

"Are you going to explain, or are we just going to stare at it all day and hope it does tricks?"

The merman gave him a half-hearted glare and picked up the seaweed, dragging it around in the water.

"It's our main and most abundant resource available. It's easy to grow, easy to find, and easily accesible. We use it to make beds, nets, heck, we even eat it. There's nothing we can't do with it!"

And to that, with a few more swirls around the water, Naruto picked the tendril up and slurped it down in one gulp. Sasuke grimaced at the event.

"Do you wanna try any?" Naruto curious eyes shimmered with hidden excitement and he frowned.

"No."

"Aww, come on. Humans eat seaweed too, don't they?" The merman whined, looking slightly dissapointed.

"They do," Sasuke assured, "But not fresh like that, nor in large quantities. That's disugusting."

"It is not. I bet you're just scared to eat it, that's all." A wicked grin appeared across the blond's face. "I never thought you'd be so scared to eat a helpless plant, Sasuke. What's it gonna do, attack you?"

"Tch, I bet you're more scared of the food I'd give you, idiot. I can eat that seaweed no problem." And suddenly Sasuke matched Naruto's devilish grin with his own.

"Why don't you prove it then?" Naruto challenged, smirk growing wider. "If you can eat the longest piece of seaweed I can find, I'll eat whatever you give me. Deal?"

"You're on. You won't even be able to swallow the food I give you." And he was pretty confident about that. The merman scoffed and turned back to the lake.

Only a few moments later, Naruto had surfaced, grinning manically at the rather long and compltely non-scrumptious string of seaweed.

"You have to eat it _all_." Naruto leered, handing it over to his companion. The merman looked on excitedly as Sasuke took it reluctantly.

Oh, if only the castle saw _this_.

Little by little. Sasuke bunched the slick tendril in his mouth and chewed. He could taste every bit the of salty, slimy bitter plant as the crushed bits and juices flowed down his throat. Slowly, the plant disappeared into Sasuke's stomach, as he fought to keep his usualy stoic mask on his face.

"Finished," He smirked after he took the last gulp, silently basking in Naruto's disappointed expression. The merman quickly scowled and his tail bashed against the rocks.

"Fine, fine, gimme the damn food already."

Grinning maliciously, he sauntered back to Hellfire, who was sifting through a patch of grass disintrestedly. He sorted through a pouch hooked onto the saddle, taking out a large, rough piece of jerky. He tore a little off and stuffed it into his mouth, ridding himself of the horrid taste of seaweed before returning to Naruto.

"Here." He held out the jerky in his hands. Naruto leaned over and ripped it from his hands using his teeth. A look of dislpleasure flitted across his face as he gnawled on the tough piece of meat. Naruto ended up shifting his postiion so he could use his arm to hold himself up while trying to rip a smaller bite off with his other hand.

"What is this stuff?" He growled through the gnawling, finally managing to tear a smaller piece off.

"Don't eat and talk at the same time." He scolded mildly, waiting for Naruto to swallow and start another piece. He held back a smirk as Naruto started tearing another chunk off.

"It's dried whale." He said casually. Naruto's chewing screeched to a halt and he paled considerably. He looked at Sasuke, completely agahst.

"You fed me whale…." It took a few horrifying seconds before Naruto exploded into a frenzy of hysteria.

"OH MY GOD YOU FED ME WHALE!" He screamed before flinging the rest of the jerky away. His tail slammed against the hard rocks and Sasuke watched amusedly how the ripples of the impact made large waves in the lake. Naruto rambled on.

"That's like EATING a COUSIN! I'm a cannibal, oh dear Posiedon, forgive me! Oh my god I just ate whale and I'm going to die a horrible death, I know it. I can't believe I just ate whale—"

At this point Sasuke had his amusement for the time being and smirked.

"I lied. It's really deer."

Naruto paused in mid sentence and looked at him a fraction before the words sunk in.

Interesting, the look he received was his first time seeing Naruto truly _pissed._

'Oh, you fucking bastard." Naruto growled dangerously, and Sasuke couldn't help but smirk.

"Looks like I win. You didn't eat the whole thing. Who's the scaredy cat now?"

"Oh yeah?" Naruto uttered roughly, "Take _this!_"

Again, though much, much harder, his tail lifted and crashed against the rocks, making a much deeper vibration than it should have been. In an instant, the lake acted as if someone tipped a glass of water; the vibration pushed backwards and then backlashed to their part of the shore, creating a huge tidal wave. It towered over both of them and crashed down.

Naruto gleamed like the Cheshire cat at Sasuke's completely pitiful and drenched form. Sasuke glared him promises of many painful things to come.

"I'm going to kill you." He coughed and dammit, he had that awful seaweed in his mouth again! He spit it out and leered at the smug, blond, infuriating merman.

"Go ahead and try, you stupid bastard."

Without any further encouragement, Sasuke unhooked his sword and lunged at the merman with all his might. He connected and the two tumbled and flipped into the lake. Naruto narrowly dodged a punch to his face and slammed his tail down again to make a smaller tidal wave. The water disracted Sasuke enough to headbutt the other boy and flip over, so his belly lie flat on the lake floor. This way he could crawl into to deeper water and gain an advantage—

No such luck, as soon as he started for the deeper waters, Sasuke clamped down his tail with his elbow painfully against the rocks and slammed down _hard_ at the hollow of his back in retaliation. He howled and swung his fist back wildly, catching the back of Sasuke's head. The human grunted and released, and tried again to capture his tail. He created another wave just in time and flipped over again to face Sasuke. Naruto reached to grab his shoulders and push him to the side, but it was the wrong move.

Sasuke clasped his hands with Naruto's and forced them a little above Naruto's head. He felt Naruto move his tail again and he quickly hooked his legs around the scale-armored body, trapping the merman's squirming form against his own.

"You're not using that fucking move again," he growled quietly at Naruto's glaring face. The merman ceased his movements and concentrated on their glaring contest. They stayed that way for a while, refusing to back down.

God, Naruto was such a pathetic idiot. He practically wasted half of his pond water, got him soaked, nearly gave him a fucking concussion, and he thought a staring contest was in session? Him and his stupid whisker marks and his fucking golden hair, and his crazy damned _fucking_ eyes that weren't supposed to be that color, goddammit! Are merfolk suppposed to make the water shine like that? Stupid Naruto made no sense at all.

And suddenly Sasuke realized all-too-well what position they were in.

"Tch, whatever." He muttered and slowly detached himself from the merman. He drug himself back to shore and began to wring out the water in his shirt.

The first thing he was going to do when he got home was take a bath.

"Fine," The merman crawled stiffly to the edge of the bank, "We'll call it a draw. But next time you do that I'll definitely beat your scrawny human ass."

Naruto rubbed his back gingerly and muttered something about whales before settling on watching Sasuke dry himself off in vain.

**It was later in the night **when Sasuke returned to his royal chambers, still damp from his excursions. Hellfire had been a pain to ride back to the stables, as the stallion did not take to someone sopping wet clinging to his back. It was even more of a hassle ot climb back into his room using the balcony, and by the time he reached his wardrobe, he promised Naruto a very painful death indeed.

Stripping down from his wet clothes and donning his bath robe, he called one of the maids to draw a bath for him. Either she didn't notice or was smart enough not to say anything about his clumped strands of hair. Either way, Sasuke was not in the mood to be concerned with it, and waited as patiently as he could while the maid filled the tub with warm water.

He merely waved the maid off and entered his wram and cozy bathroom. The cream tiled floor changed shades as the candles flickered around. He shed his robe and sank into the tub with a sigh.

Kakashi barged into the room.

"Yes?" He glared detestfully at the older man, adding him to the list of people he'd like to kill. Kakashi merely rose his hand.

"I've come to reinform you of your highness's meeting with Prince Iruka tomorrow at noon. Don't make any plans." He said cheerfully. Sasuke's glare darkened.

'And you couldn't tell me this in the morning?" The prince asked coldly.

"Because I might forget while I'm guarding Iruka." Kakashi returned as if it were a natural answer. Sasuke rose an eyebrow.

"…is there anything else?"

"No." The silver haired man bowed, "Although I smelt something peculiarly like kelp in your sleeping chambers. You might want a maid to check around." And without further provocation, Kakashi left the bathroom.

Sasuke, however, clambered out of the comfortable tub and reluctantly reguritated seaweed into his wash basin.


End file.
